They would ask me what actors I saw in the roles. I would tell them, and they’d say “Oh that’s interesting.” And that would be the end of it.
--Elmore Leonard, in 2000, on the extent of his input for Hollywood's adaptation of his novels

Thursday, September 18, 2014

Michelle Gagnon's "Don't Let Go"

Michelle Gagnon has been a modern dancer, a dog walker, a bartender, a freelance journalist, a personal trainer, and a model. Her bestselling thrillers for adults have been published in numerous countries and include The Tunnels, Boneyard, The Gatekeeper, and Kidnap & Ransom. Don't Turn Around and Don't Look Now are her first two novels for young adults.

Here Gagnon dreamcasts an adaptation of Don't Let Go and the other books in the Don't Turn Around series:

NOA: There’s an amazing Australian film called, Tomorrow, When the War Began, (if you haven’t seen it yet, put it on your to-be-watched list immediately!) The lead actress in it was incredible; the whole time I was watching the movie, all I could think was that if you chopped her hair short and dyed it black, she’d be a perfect Noa. Her name is Caitlin Stasey, and I’d be shocked if we didn’t end up seeing a lot more of her in the future.

PETER: I really love Dylan Minnette, the actor who played the son in the (sadly) short-lived series Awake. He didn’t have much of a chance to display humor in that role, but he’s such a talented actor that I believe he’d be a perfect Peter.

AMANDA: AnnaSophia Robb. She’s got the right look, and I think she might manage to make Amanda more sympathetic. I get a lot of emails from Amanda-haters; she’s a tricky character, in that she’s moralizing and judgmental; but a lot of that is a cover for her insecurity and vulnerability. So a really likeable actress like AnnaSophia could help humanize her.

ZEKE: Zeke really needs to be a heartthrob: dark, moody, brooding. Tyler Posey definitely fits that bill, and I love him in Teen Wolf.

I added a bunch of new folks to the cast in Don't Look Now, most notably Teo and Daisy. They’re a bit younger than the others, and rougher around the edges.

TEO: For Teo, I’d love to see Jake Austin (my kid is a huge Wizards of Waverly Place fan!)

DAISY: The actress who plays Daisy really needs to capture that punk-rock look, while still appearing fragile and doll-like (which isn’t easy!) I think Joey King would totally nail it, especially with blue hair.

And finally, for our main baddie. Mason is the trickiest, since he’s supposed to have shark eyes. But if I can really shoot for the stars here, I’m calling in Jonathan Rhys Meyers. He has the chops to be scary and charming simultaneously (and he’d look great in one of Mason’s tailored suits).

“Compared to a novel, a film is like an economy pizza where there are no olives, no ham, no anchovies, no mushrooms, and all you’ve got is the dough.”
--Louis de Bernières, author of Captain Corelli’s Mandolin